Dates & times
All times are local to the venue · America/New York
- 5:30 PM – 7:30 PM
Museum Night at the Whitney: Lichtenstein and Lobby Music, Nov. 13
Roy Lichtenstein drew on images already circulating in comics and newspapers, then reworked them into paintings that looked mechanically printed but were made by hand. That tension gives this Whitney Friday a strong art-focused anchor, with a Meetup plan that adds lobby music and time for other galleries and the terraces.
A picture’s second life
On Floor 5, Roy Lichtenstein: Like New brings together celebrated paintings, less familiar works and four re-created murals. Open from Oct. 11, 2026, through May 10, 2027, the exhibition follows six decades of his work across painting, drawing, sculpture, film and prints. It is the first New York retrospective of Lichtenstein since 1993.
Lichtenstein started with imagery from comic books and newspapers, adjusting compositions before enlarging and transferring them to canvas. His crisp outlines, bright flat colors and fields of dots evoke commercial printing, while the works themselves were painted by hand. That contrast connects the exhibition’s Pop art to a continuing question about images: what changes when a picture is recast, circulated and encountered again? The Whitney frames that question as central to Lichtenstein’s long investigation of image culture.
The exhibition is organized by Whitney curator Meg Onli and guest curator Alex Da Corte, with curatorial staff Nakai Falcón and David Crane. Their career-spanning selection makes this more than a stop for the familiar comic-style paintings: the less-seen works and murals offer a broader view of how Lichtenstein used repetition and mass-culture imagery.
Further reading: Roy Lichtenstein: Like New | Whitney Museum of American Art ↗
Two different approaches in the lobby
The Meetup listing places the lobby performances in an experimental music series co-presented by the Whitney and Brooklyn venue Public Records. It describes LEYA’s music through operatic vocals, detuned harp and violin; Emily A. Sprague’s set is characterized as ambient synthesizer composition. The contrast offers two distinct listening stops alongside the gallery visit, rather than a single continuous program.
The timing matters if you are joining the group: its listed outing ends at 7:30 p.m., while Sprague’s set is listed for 8 p.m. The host’s plan makes that later performance optional, so staying for it means continuing at the museum after the scheduled Meetup.
Further reading: 🌟 Museum Night at the Whitney ⭐️ plus live music ✸ FREE, Fri, Nov 13, 2026, 5:30 PM | MeetupBending Spoons ↗ · Free Friday Nights | Whitney Museum of American Art ↗
A suggested route, not a fixed tour
The host proposes starting with Lichtenstein on Floor 5, catching LEYA in the lobby and then heading upstairs to other galleries and the outdoor terraces. The listing describes the plan as flexible and leaves visitors free to choose their own gallery order. That makes it possible to treat the exhibition as the evening’s main focus, or to divide the time among art, music and the terraces.
Whitney Free Friday Nights run from 5 to 10 p.m., while this Meetup is scheduled for 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. The museum’s longer evening leaves time to explore after the group wraps up, but the free-entry ticket and any separate requirements for programs should be checked before making the later set the centerpiece of a visit.
Further reading: 🌟 Museum Night at the Whitney ⭐️ plus live music ✸ FREE, Fri, Nov 13, 2026, 5:30 PM | MeetupBending Spoons ↗ · Free Friday Nights | Whitney Museum of American Art ↗ · Roy Lichtenstein: Like New | Whitney Museum of American Art ↗
The music on the listing
The two named acts point to different musical textures: LEYA is listed with operatic vocals, detuned harp and violin, while Emily A. Sprague is associated with ambient synthesizer composition. The listing places both in a Whitney–Public Records experimental music series.
Friday, November 13, 2026 · Lobby
- LEYA — described in the event listing as operatic vocals, detuned harp and violin.
- Emily A. Sprague — described in the event listing as ambient synthesizer composition.
Before you go
Meet outside before the group enters
Friday, Nov. 13, 2026. The Meetup host asks attendees to gather at about 5:15 p.m. outside the main Gansevoort Street entrance and plans to go in at 5:30. The group outing is listed for 5:30–7:30 p.m.; Whitney Free Friday Nights continue until 10 p.m.
🌟 Museum Night at the Whitney ⭐️ plus live music ✸ FREE, Fri, Nov 13, 2026, 5:30 PM | MeetupBending Spoons ↗ · Free Friday Nights | Whitney Museum of American Art ↗
Free entry still requires a timed ticket
Whitney Free Friday Nights offer free museum admission from 5–10 p.m. Tickets are required, capacity is limited and the museum recommends booking in advance. The Meetup host asks attendees to reserve the free 5:30 p.m. timed-entry ticket.
The Whitney notes that some programs or activities may have limited capacity and require separate tickets. The event listing does not say whether either lobby performance has a separate ticket requirement, so check the museum’s event and ticket details rather than assuming that museum entry alone covers both sets.
Free Friday Nights | Whitney Museum of American Art ↗ · 🌟 Museum Night at the Whitney ⭐️ plus live music ✸ FREE, Fri, Nov 13, 2026, 5:30 PM | MeetupBending Spoons ↗
Register for the outing and keep your RSVP current
The Meetup listing gives a registration cutoff of 1 a.m. EST on Nov. 13. A Meetup RSVP is separate from the Whitney’s timed-entry ticket. The group asks members, when possible, to update an RSVP at least 24 hours ahead if plans change; its event chat is available for communicating with other attendees.
🌟 Museum Night at the Whitney ⭐️ plus live music ✸ FREE, Fri, Nov 13, 2026, 5:30 PM | MeetupBending Spoons ↗ · Sublime Time Culture Collective | MeetupBending Spoons ↗
Getting to the Whitney
Address and entrance
Whitney Museum of American Art, 99 Gansevoort St., New York, NY 10014. The Meetup host’s gathering point is outside the main entrance on Gansevoort Street.
For the accessible route to the main entrance, the museum directs visitors from Washington Street along the building’s south side. The Rudin Family Entrance at 555 West Street is also accessible.
🌟 Museum Night at the Whitney ⭐️ plus live music ✸ FREE, Fri, Nov 13, 2026, 5:30 PM | MeetupBending Spoons ↗ · Accessibility | Whitney Museum of American Art ↗
Subway, bikes and cars
The A, C, E and L subway lines stop about six blocks away at 14th Street and 8th Avenue. Bike racks are in front of the museum; Citi Bike docks are at the southwest corner of Gansevoort and Washington Streets.
Car services can pick up or drop off at 99 Gansevoort Street. The museum identifies Hudson Street, three blocks east, as the best nearby place to hail a cab. Nearby ICON parking facilities are at 99 Jane St., 134–36 Jane St. and 385 W. 15th St.; parking rates and availability are not specified.
Access inside the museum
All museum levels are accessible by elevator. Manual wheelchairs are available free of charge on a first-come, first-served basis at the Floor 1 admissions desk or Floor -1 coat check. Accessible restrooms are on Floors -1, 3, 7 and 8; single-user, all-gender restrooms are on Floors -1, 3 and 8. Doorways to the outdoor terraces have automatic openers.
ASL interpretation and live captioning for public programs and events can be requested with five business days’ notice. Verbal description can be requested with two weeks’ notice and depends on describer availability. For questions or accommodation requests, contact [email protected] or (646) 666-5574; the museum’s access information does not specify arrangements for these particular lobby sets.
Before you make a plan
Do I need both a Meetup RSVP and a Whitney ticket?
Yes. The Meetup RSVP is for the group outing; the Whitney separately requires a free timed-entry ticket for Free Friday Nights.
🌟 Museum Night at the Whitney ⭐️ plus live music ✸ FREE, Fri, Nov 13, 2026, 5:30 PM | MeetupBending Spoons ↗ · Free Friday Nights | Whitney Museum of American Art ↗
Can I stay for Emily A. Sprague’s listed 8 p.m. set?
The Meetup outing ends at 7:30 p.m., but Free Friday Nights run until 10 p.m. Check whether the music program has a separate ticket requirement before planning to stay.
🌟 Museum Night at the Whitney ⭐️ plus live music ✸ FREE, Fri, Nov 13, 2026, 5:30 PM | MeetupBending Spoons ↗ · Free Friday Nights | Whitney Museum of American Art ↗
Where does the Meetup group gather?
Outside the Whitney’s main entrance on Gansevoort Street, at about 5:15 p.m.; the group plans to enter at 5:30.
Does a free timed-entry ticket necessarily include the music?
Not necessarily. The Whitney says some programs may require separate tickets, and the event listing does not say whether either lobby performance does.
Free Friday Nights | Whitney Museum of American Art ↗ · 🌟 Museum Night at the Whitney ⭐️ plus live music ✸ FREE, Fri, Nov 13, 2026, 5:30 PM | MeetupBending Spoons ↗
Location & Google Maps
Whitney Museum of American Art
99 Gansevoort St, New York, NY 10014
Map search by venue and address. Check the organiser’s entrance details before travelling.